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Jacob
loves books. His mom knows this because when she sits down
to read to him every night, he waves his arms excitedly.
His
favorite page of "Goodnight Moon" shows a cow jumping over
the moon. He squeals and reaches for the book every time
he sees it. When she is done reading, his mom usually lets
him hold the sturdy board book, which he promptly sticks
into his mouth.
Jacob
is only 6 months old, but he is already well on his way to
becoming a reader.
Why Read to My Baby?
You
may wonder about the benefits of reading to your baby.
Clearly an infant can't understand what you're doing or
why. But you wouldn't wait until your child could
understand what you were saying before you started
speaking to him or her, right? And you wouldn't bypass
lullabies until your baby could carry a tune or wait until
he or she could shake a rattle before you offered any
toys.
Reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful shared activity
you can continue for years to come — and it's an important
form of stimulation.
Reading aloud:
teaches a baby about communication
introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, and
shapes in a fun way
builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills
gives babies information about the world around them
Believe it or not, by the time babies reach their first
birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to
speak their native language. The more stories you read
aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and
the better he or she will be able to talk. Hearing words
helps to imprint them on a baby's brain. Kids Gifts whose
parents frequently talk/read to them know more words by
age 2 than children who have not been read to. And Kids Gifts
who are read to during their early years are more likely
to learn to read at the right time.
When reading, your child hears you using many different
emotions and expressive sounds, which fosters social and
emotional development. Reading also invites your baby to
look, point, touch, and answer questions — all of which
promote social development and thinking skills.
And
your baby improves language skills by imitating sounds,
recognizing images, and learning words.
But
perhaps the most important reason to read aloud is that it
makes a connection between the things your baby loves the
most — your voice and closeness to you — and books.
Spending time reading to your baby shows that reading is a
skill worth learning.
Different Ages, Different
Stages
Young
babies may not know what the images in a book mean, but
they can focus on them, especially faces, bright colors,
and contrasting patterns. Read or sing lullabies and
nursery rhymes to interest and soothe your infant.
Between 4 and 6 months, your baby may begin to show more
interest in books. He or she will grab and hold books, but
will mouth, chew, and drop them as well. Choose sturdy
vinyl or cloth books with bright colors and repetitive or
rhyming text.
Between 6 and 12 months, your child is beginning to
understand that pictures represent objects, and most
likely will develop preferences for certain pictures,
pages, or even entire stories. Your baby will respond
while you read, grabbing for the book and making sounds,
and by 12 months will turn pages (with some help from
you), pat or start to point to objects on a page, and
repeat your sounds.
When and How to Read
Here's
a great thing about reading aloud: It doesn't take special
skills or equipment, just you, your baby, and some books.
Read aloud for a few minutes at a time, but do it often.
Don't worry about finishing entire books — focus on pages
that you and your baby enjoy.
Try to
set aside time to read every day — perhaps before naptime
and bedtime. In addition to the pleasure that cuddling
your baby before bed gives both of you, you'll also be
making life easier by establishing a routine. This will
help to calm your baby and set expectations about when
it's time to sleep.
It's
also good to read at other points in the day. Choose times
when your baby is dry, fed, and alert. Books also come in
handy when you're stuck waiting, so have some in the
diaper bag to fill time sitting at the doctor's office or
standing in line at the grocery store.
Here
are some additional reading tips:
Cuddling while you read helps your baby feel safe, warm,
and connected to you.
Read with expression, pitching your voice higher or lower
where it's appropriate or using different voices for
different characters.
Don't worry about following the text exactly. Stop once in
a while and ask questions or make comments on the pictures
or text. ("Where's the kitty? There he is! What a cute
black kitty.") Your child might not be able to respond
yet, but this lays the groundwork for doing so later on.
Sing nursery rhymes, make funny animal sounds, or bounce
your baby on your knee — anything that shows that reading
is fun.
Babies love — and learn from — repetition, so don't be
afraid of reading the same books over and over. When you
do so, repeat the same emphasis each time as you would
with a familiar song.
As your baby gets older, encourage him or her to touch the
book or hold sturdier vinyl, cloth, or board books. You
don't want to encourage chewing on books, but by putting
them in his or her mouth, your baby is learning about
them, finding out how books feel and taste — and
discovering that they're not edible!
What to Read
Books
for babies should have simple, repetitive text and clear
images. During the first few months of life, your child
just likes to hear your voice, so you can read almost
anything, especially books with a sing-song or rhyming
text. As your baby gets more interested in looking at
things, choose books with simple pictures against solid
backgrounds.
Once
your baby begins to grab, read vinyl or cloth books with
faces, bright colors, and shapes. When your baby begins to
respond to what's inside of books, add board books with
pictures of babies or familiar objects like toys. When
your child begins to do things like sit up in the bathtub
or eat finger foods, find simple stories about daily
routines like bedtime or bathtime. When talking starts,
choose books that invite babies to repeat simple words or
phrases.
Books
with mirrors and different textures (crinkly, soft,
scratchy) are also great for this age group, as are
fold-out books that can be propped up, or books with flaps
that open for a surprise. Board books make page turning
easier for infants and vinyl or cloth books can go
everywhere — even the tub. Babies of any age like photo
albums with pictures of people they know and love. And
every baby should have a collection of nursery rhymes!
One
of the best ways you can ensure that your little one grows
up to be a reader is to have books around your house. When
your baby is old enough to crawl over to a basket of toys
and pick one out, make sure some books are included in the
mix.
In
addition to the books you own, take advantage of those you
can borrow from the library. Many libraries have storytime
just for babies, too. Don't forget to pick up a book for
yourself while you're there. Reading for pleasure is
another way you can be your baby's reading role model. |
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